HbbTV Symposium 2026 to explore audience measurement, addressable advertising and new markets
Geneva, 8 October 2026 – The HbbTV Association, a global initiative dedicated to providing open standards for the delivery of advanced interactive TV services through broadcast and broadband networks for connected TV sets and set-top boxes, is pleased to unveil the conference programme and speaker line-up of the HbbTV Symposium and Awards 2026. The 14th edition of the annual key summit of the connected TV industry will take place on 18-19 November at the Catalonia Barcelona Plaza Hotel in Barcelona, co-hosted with 3Cat, Catalonia’s public media corporation. The programme focuses on audience measurement, addressable advertising, market expansion in regions such as MENA and Asia, and new user experiences including AI-powered interfaces and personalisation.
Conference day: 18 November
The conference day combines presentations, Quickfire Updates and roundtables. Vincent Grivet, Chair of the HbbTV Association, and Jon Piesing, Vice-Chair of the HbbTV Association, open with updates on the state of HbbTV and the specifications. Sessions on markets and measurement feature Guillaume Perrin (Dataxis), Damien de Foucault (ADKEMIX), Michele Gosetti (SES) and Ricarda Jebsen (Virtual Minds & d-force). The Quickfire Updates present six short talks on the latest technical and service innovations by Moritz Wuttke (Konodrac), Naomi Schoppa (Fraunhofer FOKUS), Klaus Merkel (rbb/ARD), Aylen Alonso Montero (TVekstra), Louay Bassbouss (Fraunhofer FOKUS) and Amelie Jakob (ZDF). In the afternoon, speakers look at HbbTV’s place in tomorrow’s TV: Xavi Redon (Cellnex Telecom) on the evolution of LOVEStv, Richard Lindsay-Davies (DTG) on the UK’s transition from broadcast to IP, Petra Konrad (Eutelsat) and Philipp Rotermund (wedotv) on commercial opportunities, and Francesc Mas (3Cat) and Bram Tullemans (EBU) on HbbTV and DVB-I strategies. The session “The Future of HbbTV Applications” features Orf Warr (Everyone TV), Rafael Bermúdez (3Cat) and Mika Kanerva (Sofia Digital). Two roundtables, moderated by Ranjeet Kaur (DTG) and journalist Jörn Krieger, discuss content discovery and new interfaces with panellists from Everyone TV, ZDF, TP Vision, Mediaset Italia, Eutelsat, Qvest Engage, 3Cat and wedotv. The evening will see the HbbTV Awards 2026 reception and ceremony, with five categories including the new Excellence in HbbTV Audience Measurement & Analytics award.
Day 2: Unconference
The second day, 19 November, is a completely participant-driven unconference. Rather than listening to formal presentations, attendees pitch topics in an Opening Circle and add them to the agenda as individual sessions, turning them into open conversations on the technical and business challenges of connected TV. The day features four 45-minute session blocks running in parallel across several rooms, and concludes with a Closing Circle in which participants share insights and explore next steps. Anyone who would like to lead a discussion can submit a session idea in advance through the Unconference Hub on the Symposium website, where ideas submitted so far can also be viewed. The agenda itself is decided in the Opening Circle, and only the sessions pitched there make it into the programme. Both days are hosted by Eoghan O’Sullivan, Moderator & Facilitator.
Registration
Industry professionals are invited to register now and secure their place at the 14th HbbTV Symposium and Awards in Barcelona. Exclusive pricing is available to HbbTV Association members. Full details on the conference, speakers and the HbbTV Awards, as well as the registration form, are available at www.hbbtv.org/14th-hbbtv-symposium-and-awards-2026.
About the HbbTV Association
Hybrid broadcast broadband TV (or “HbbTV”) is a global initiative developing a specification enabling the delivery of advanced and interactive TV and entertainment services to consumers through a combined use of both broadcast and broadband networks. The HbbTV specification is developed by industry leaders to improve the video experience of consumers on connected TV sets, set-top boxes and multiscreen devices. The HbbTV specification uses elements of existing specifications from other standards including OIPF, CEA, DVB, MPEG-DASH and W3C. With the incorporation of activities from the Open IPTV Forum (OIPF) in 2014 and Smart TV Alliance in 2016, HbbTV is able to address service providers and technology suppliers for IPTV services as well as the combined scope of broadcast and over-the-top (OTT) services. HbbTV is organised as a non-profit association registered in Switzerland and has around 80 members which include all global TV manufacturers, the large European broadcasters and TV platforms as well as a vast array of global technology and chipset vendors. More information: www.hbbtv.org Contact HbbTV Association HbbTV MarCom communications@hbbtv.org
About 3Cat
3Cat is Catalonia’s public media corporation with a reputation for excellence in producing and broadcasting audiovisual content in Catalan. With a track record of more than 40 years, it is an industry leader thanks to a crosscutting offering that integrates television, radio and digital content on our 3Cat platform. TV3 has been the leading television channel in Catalonia for the past 16 years, the 3Cat platform is the third most-used digital platform among Catalans, and Catalunya Ràdio continues to grow, closing 2025 with the highest audience figures in its history. Throughout our history, we have created thousands of high-quality productions - shows, series, documentaries, films and children’s content - many of which have won national and international awards. This constant commitment to innovation and creativity has established us as a key player on the European audiovisual scene. In 2025 3Cat made more than 160 new productions, including documentaries, fiction, entertainment and animation programmes, many of which premiered on major TV channels and in cinemas. This figure reaffirms our commitment to the growth of the industry and our role as an audiovisual content factory across all formats and genres in Catalonia. 3Cat is committed to innovative projects with global reach, connecting with audiences of all ages and beyond our borders. Through strategic agreements with production companies, we have driven forward hundreds of projects that have found financing and international visibility, contributing to establishing a strong, competitive and globalised audiovisual sector. 3Cat offers content that transcends borders, reflects our culture and connects with the world. More information: www.3cat.cat Contact 3Cat 3Cat Communication comunicacio@3cat.cat
